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The German authorities have announced that the country is planning to end the remaining Coronavirus restrictions prematurely – the mask wearing and testing requirement for the staff and residents of health and nursing facilities.
According to the federal states’ health ministers, the decision to no longer require staff and residents of health and nursing facilities to wear a face mask and undergo testing from the beginning of March was taken after concluding that the current COVID situation in the country is completely under control, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
However, despite taking the decision to lift the two above-mentioned requirements, it has been stressed that mandatory mask wearing will continue to remain in place for visitors to hospitals, doctor’s surgeries, and care homes.
Commenting on the decision to drop these two requirements, which were originally to remain in force until April 7, 2023, the Federal Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach, said that the situation is manageable and there is no need for strict measures.
“The pandemic is not yet over, but it has lost its fear factor. The virus can be controlled in everyday life,” the statement of Minister Lauterbach reads.
Coronavirus measures in Germany have already been eased gradually in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Germany officially ended the mask requirement on buses and on long-distance trains.
The decision to no longer require passengers to wear a face mask on buses and long-distance trains was taken after considering the declining trajectory of COVID infection cases in the country.
Back when such a measure was dropped, Minister Lauterbach said that the number of Coronavirus infection cases recorded in January 2023 had halved compared to December 2022. Moreover, the Minister stressed that the number of hospitalisations has also dropped, suggesting that there is no need for such a measure anymore.
Germany’s decision to lift the measures was also taken after it was clear that the country would not expect another COVID wave in this winter season.
Apart from the above-mentioned, the German authorities said earlier this month that they would also no longer require those who test positive to go into self-isolation.
Data provided by World Health Organisation show that Germany has recorded 81,005 new COVID infection cases in the last seven days. During the same period, the country recorded 61 new deaths.
As for the vaccination rates, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) shows that Germany has administered 194,174,719 Coronavirus vaccine doses as of February 10, 2023. ECDC further reveals that 73.0 per cent of the adult population in Germany has received the first booster, and another 18.0 per cent has received the second booster.
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